Conveyor carrier



J. J. soNcRANT CONVEYOR CARRIER June 2, 1959 2,889,169

Filed Jan. 50, 1958 2 Sheets-She 1 BY 9 M 7 ATTORNEY H INVENTOR L .I

United States PatentO CONVEK OR CA RRIER Joseph John Soncrant, Denville,.NJ.,.assignor to Thomas Electronics, Inc., Passaic, N.'J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 30, 1958, Serial No. 712,219

11 "Claims. :(Cl. 294- 92) v This invention relates to a conveyor andmore-pa'rticu- In the current day manufacture of television cathode ray tubes, it :is conventional practice to transport the tubes along a conveyor line so that the-various manularly =relates to a carrier for transporting television cathode ray tubes.

facturing operations can be performed upon the tubes ":5

at sequentially spaced operating positions. The tubes are normally carried with the neck down and in most instances the carriers utilized are specially-designed to carry a particular size and shape bulb. =Inother cases, adjustable'carriers have been provided wherein the same carrier may be utilized for carrying different :size and shaped bulbs after certain adjustments in the carrier are effected Metal carriers v have generally been used and in "some instances difiiculty has =been "encountered with breakage of the bulbs and dangerous conditions have been created where these metal carriers have come into contact with some of the high'voltage :leads which -are :necessarily applied to the cathode ray tube structure during the manufacturing process.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved-cathode ray tube carrierzof aunitary rigid construction which is capable of handling all sizes and shapes of cathode ray tubes.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved cathode ray tube carrier capable of supporting all sizes and shapes of cathode ray tubes in substantially the same position without the necessity for any adjustments in the carrier itself.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved cathode ray tube carrier of the foregoing type construction in such a manner as to eliminate damage to the tube through contact with the carrier and to minimize the danger of shock through inadvertent energization of the carrier with a high potential.

It is a still additional object of the invention to provide a carrier of the foregoing type which can be manufactured at a low cost from readily available stock material.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification and claims and appended drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a television cathode ray tube carrier showing the dimensions of a carrier constructed to handle current standard bulb types;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a television cathode ray tube carrier constructed according to the invention showing three different sized and shaped bulbs located in the carrier;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the television cathode ray tube carrier of Figures 1 and 2; and

Figure 4 is an additional side elevation of the television cathode ray tube carrier showing still further difierent size and shaped television cathode ray tubes mounted therein.

Referring more particularly to the figures of the 2,889,169 Patented June -2, 1959 ice hole 28 may be provided in Ithis attaching member for :securing -the carrier to the conveyor proper.

Attached to the ends of the inwardly extending .portions 16 and 18 of "the'C-shaped member .10 are .asfirst pair of V-shaped members shown generally "at 3.0 and 32 in Figure 3. Each v-shaped member consists .of a single piece of rod stock bentso as to form an apex -portion 34 with the legs 36 extending atan angle thereto. The apex portions 34 are welded to [the ends of the inwardly extending portions :16 and 1 8 of the Cshaped member 10.

Depending from the junction of the .apexes of the ifirst pair of 'V-shaped members and the ends of the :inwardly extending portions 16 and 18 of the C-shaped member are a pair of support arms 38 and '40 which terminate below the first pair of V-shaped members approximately in vertical planes passing through "the 'entlsof =the legsof these V-shaped members. Asecond pair of V-shaped members shown :generally at 42 and 44 iniFigure :3 are attached to the depending support arms 38' and '40 and extend inwardly toward one another. Each of "these V-shaped members is formed similarly to the first pair of V-shaped members and consists of an apex portion 46 'bent to provide'a'rm's 48 extending at an angle thereto.

Fhe second pair of V-shaped members lie in a common plane below the plane which contains the first pair of -V-shaped members and the spacing between the =apexes :of th'e second-pair of v-shaped.members-is approximately one-half of the spacing between the apexes of the first pair of V-shaped members, as is shown with further precision by the dimensions indicated in Figure 1 of the drawing. The legs of these V-shaped members in the first pair form an angle with respect to one another of 94, while the legs of the V-shaped members in the second pair form an angle with respect to one another of 86.

The entire carrier is coated with a resilient coating such as polyvinyl chloride which may be applied to a thickness of one-eighth inch. This coating serves as a cushion between the metal carrier and the 'glass bulbs and also provides insulation against the high voltages which are applied to the tubes during the manufacturing process. The coating may be applied by dipping the carrier into a cold thick suspension of the resin in plasticiser and then curing at an elevated temperature during which time the coating becomes tough and homogeneous, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Since the C-shaped portion of the carrier is formed of hollow pipe a pressure arises inside the pipe during the curing operation and small weld defects may cause bubbles to escape which would disrupt the resilient coating. In order to prevent this, a small vent hole is provided at 59 at the top of the C-shaped member in order to allow for air expansion.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the outlines of standard television cathode ray tube bulbs are shown in broken lines with the size and shape of the bulb indicated on the drawings. It will be seen that a large variety of bulbs can be accommorated by the carrier and that some of these bulbs, such as a 10-inch 90 bulb, can be supported in either of two positions as is indicated in Figure 3.

Some of the bulbs are carried only by the upper arms, some by only the lower arms, while other bulbs are supported by both sets of arms. The open construction of the carrier permits easy insertion and removal of the bulbs, while at the same time securely holding the bulbs in position to prevent accidental dropping. It is apparent that the large variety of bulb sizes and shapes are accommodated without adjustment of the carrier and that bulb breakage and dangerous high potential energization. of the carrier are prevented by means of the resilient coating. The unit is extremely simple in construction and low in cost and is not readily susceptible to serious damage.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A carrier for conveying cathode ray tubes comprising a generally C-shaped suspension member having spaced depending legs which terminate in inwardly extending portions, a first pair of generally V-shaped support members having their apexes attached to said inwardly extending portions and having the legs thereof extending toward one another, a pair of depending members extending downwardly from said inwardly extending portions, a second pair of generally V-shaped support members having their apexes attached to said depending members and having the legs thereof extending toward one another, the apexes of said second pair of V-shaped members being spaced less than the apexes of said first pair of V-shaped members.

2. A carrier as set out in claim 1 wherein said carrier is coated with a resilient insulating material.

3. A carrier for conveying cathode ray tubes comprising a generally C-shaped suspension member having spaced depending legs which terminate in inwardly extending portions, a first pair of generally V-shaped support members having their apexes attached to said inwardly extending portions and having the legs thereof extending toward one another.) a pair of depending members extending downwardly from said inwardly extending portions toward one another, and a second pair of generally V-shaped support members having their apexes attached to said depending members below the level of said inwardly extending portions and having the legs thereof extending toward one another, the apexes of said second pair of V-shaped members being spaced less than the apexes of said first pair of V-shaped members.

4. A carrier as set out in claim 3 wherein each of said V-shaped members includes an angle of approxi mately between its legs.

5. A carrier as set out in claim 4 wherein the angles included between the legs of the first pair of V-shaped members is slightly greater than 90 and the angle included between the legs of the second pair of V-shaped members is slightly less than 90.

6. .A carrier as set out in claim 3 wherein the connection points between said second pair of V-shaped members and said depending members lie approximately in vertical planes containing the inner ends of the legs of the first pair of V-shaped members.

.7 7. A carrier as set out in claim 3 wherein said carrier is coated with a resilient insulating material.

8. A carrier as set out in claim 3 wherein said carrier is formed of hollow pipe and has a hole in said C-shaped member to serve as a vent.

9. A carrier as set out in claim 6 wherein the distance between the apexes ofsaid first pair of V-shaped members is approximately twice the distance between the apexes of said second pair of V-shaped members. 10. A carrier as set out in claim 9 wherein the depending legs of said C-shaped member are substantially parallel over a portion thereof. 1.1. A carrier as setout in claim 10 wherein sai carrier is coated with a resilient insulating material.

No references cited. 

